A MURDERER from Coventry has been sentenced to life imprisonment for stabbing a man to death.
Laura Shanley was sentenced for the murder of Alfred Corbett, which happened in September 2024.
Shanley, 36, of Edmund Road, Coventry, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court to life with a minimum of 16 years.
In the early hours of September 17 last year, Shanley had been with Mr Corbett, 34, who was known as Jamie to friends and family, at an address in Edmund Road.
Shanley picked up a knife and stabbed Jamie in the chest before almost immediately kneeling down next to him and shouting: “What have I done?”
When police arrived, Shanley told officers Jamie had arrived home bleeding having already been stabbed.
She also asked another woman who was inside the house if she would lie to the police about what happened, asking her: “Have you got my back?”
But the knife used to kill Jamie was found in the kitchen sink, leading to Shanley being arrested and taken into custody.
Earlier that day, Shanley had been out in the city drinking with friends, meeting up later with Jamie, who had been at a staff party.
In her interview, Shanley maintained that Jamie had come home with a stab wound, before attempting to blame someone else, before finally admitting she had stabbed him.
Jamie’s family described him as ‘a beautiful son and brother’.
Jamie’s family paid tribute to him, saying: “Although no sentence will ever feel enough for taking an innocent life, we are grateful to the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the jury for their hard work to ensure the trial secured the right verdict.
“Our grief for the loss of a beautiful son and brother will be lifelong and none of us will ever be whole or complete again.
“We wish we could turn back time to when Jamie was happy and safe with a family who loved him, before he met Laura Shanley, but we cannot.
“In accepting the reality we are currently in, we believe Jamie was a victim of coercive control and violence from Laura Shanley leading up to and ending in his murder and there is only one person responsible for this.
“Thankfully she will now face a long period in prison which we hope prevents her causing harm to anyone else.”
Det Insp Jenny Birch from West Midlands Police’s homicide department, said: “This was a very sad loss of life.
“Our thoughts are with Mr Corbett’s family and friends, and we hope they can find some closure now justice has been served.”
